The IPL 2023 final between defending champions Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings was a thrilling one which ended on the final ball. CSK needed 10 runs in the final 2 deliveries and Ravindra Jadeja sealed the deal with a six and a four as well. However, more than this, it was MS Dhoni who stole the limelight. First, it was speculated to be his last edition and secondly, he was seen sitting with closed eyes towards the end of the league as well.

However, MS Dhoni is considered one of the best wicketkeeper-batters as well as captains in world cricket and a title win while leaving the league would be fitted well in his long-lasting career as well. And, the final over was no less than a drama itself. When CSK needed 4 of the last ball and Ravindra Jadeja hit a Mohit Sharma full toss off his pads for a boundary, the fans in the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad jumped for joy.

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Ravindra Jadeja, with his arms up in the air, started to run with no proper destination whereas all the CSK players started running towards the field.  Amid all this, MS Dhoni stood up from his seat and hugged the remaining CSK support staff in the dugout. It was his fifth IPL title as captain – the joint-most with Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma. But some pictures went viral of Dhoni sitting with his eyes closed in the dugout.

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While it is debatable exactly when he did this, an observation of the footage available showed that the frame froze for a few seconds when cameras panned towards Dhoni sitting in the CSK dugout with his eyes closed just before Mohit Sharma started his run-up and Jadeja hit the winning runs as well. However, after that, Dhoni was seen hugging Jadeja and lifting him as he came running towards his captain.